TUCSON – Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) today sent a letter to Chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC) of the House Subcommittee on Government Operation – which holds jurisdiction over the United States Postal Service (USPS) – asking him to officially announce his support for ongoing efforts to save the Cherrybell Processing Center in Tucson. The letter follows Chairman Meadows’ tour of the facility last week, where he heard from local elected officials and community leaders about the importance of protecting the facility. While local officials from both political parties released statements following the visit expressing optimism about keeping the facility open, the Chairman has yet to officially commit to supporting legislative language that will prevent the consolidation.

“I am glad that here in Tucson, the fight to protect Cherrybell, its employees, and the countless people who rely on its operation every day has become a powerful bipartisan effort,” Rep. Grijalva said. “But this support must extend to the national level, where unfortunately Republicans have often supported downsizing, limiting postal services and imposing harsh requirements funding on USPS.

“Ending the uncertainty of closure, which threatens jobs and delivery service in Tucson and countless other localities around the country, will require follow through and action on the part of the Committee Chairman,” Grijalva continued. “It will require leaders in the Republican Party to challenge their Party’s orthodoxy and call for an end to inadequate proposals that fall short of preventing harmful postal closures.

“For the people of Tucson and the workers at Cherrybell, it is critical to turn words into actions.  I encourage Chairman Meadows and other Republicans to commit to supporting legislation to prevent consolidations. The closures have not only disrupted service and cost jobs, but they have actually cost money instead of seeing the intended savings. This is a clear cut issue and it should be supported by an overwhelming majority of Congress.”

The full text of Rep. Grijalva’s letter is available here.

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